This unit provides a foundation for management research and analysis through a study of the history and philosophy of social science research underpinning management studies. Topics include (1) paradigms, theories, models, constructs, hypotheses, experiments and other building blocks of the scientific method of enquiry; (2) inferential and deductive processes in the scientific method; (3) issues and procedures in moving from theory to research designs; (4) research as a social process; (5) the institutional contexts of management and social science research; and (6) ethics and social research. Key issues in the use of theory in effective research designs are illustrated through a close reading of research papers drawn from several disciplines in management and social sciences.